Refrigerator



(N0 Model.)

A; D. PUFPER.

REFRIGERATOR.

Patented Mar, 28, 1882.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..

ALVIN D. PUF FER, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

REFRIGERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 255,456, dated March28, 1.882.

Application filed Marcil 13, 1880. Renewed February Si, 1882. [Nomodel.) y,

To all lwhom z't may concern Be it known that 1, ALvlN D. PUFFER, ofBoston, county of Suffolk, and State of Massachusetts, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Refrigerators, of which thefollowing is a specification. r

n Thisinvention relates to refrigeratin g structures or devices mainlyfor use in fountains for soda and other aerated waters, in which areemployed swinging doors or receptacles for the support of the sirups orother liquids to be cooled, the interior of such doors communicatingwith the ice-chamber of the structure and being hinged to the latter inorder tobe swung open and expose the vessels within or upon them, and topermit such vessels to he inspected or removed and retilled,or to becleaned, as the case may be, and also to permit of introduction of iceto the ice tank or chamber.

An instance of the class of refrigerators to which my presentimprovements relate is shown in an application for a patent tiled bymyself prior to this application and now pendmg.

The drawings' accompanying this specification represent, in Figure 1, anisometric view, and in Figs. 2 and 3 sections, of a refrigeratingapparatus containing my invention; Fig. 4, section of shifting bottomand slide-carrier.

In said drawings, A represents the case of the structure, being ingeneral terms an upright oblong rectangular box with an opening, B,attop, which in mostinstances is covered by the counter of the shop inwhich the structure is placed, but which in other instances may beprovided with a cover and permit of introduction of ice through it totherefrigerating-chamber below, the interior Aof the case A being forthev greater part devoted to the purpose of au ice-receptacle andrefrigerating-chamber, a portion of the upper frontv part of such case Abeing occupied by the doors before alludedto, and which will behereinafter explained, the waste-water overflowopening being arranged atthe bottom of the ice-tank, as shown at c.

The lower front part of the structure A is converted into a bay, D, thetop ot' which is open, as shown at E, except when closed by the doors,and it is through this opening E that ice is. usually introduced to thechamber A. Openings b b, dac., are made in the front wall, c, of thestructure to permit of passage of cold air from the chamber A to theinterior of the receiving-doors, which contain the bottles or vesselsholding the liquid to be cooled. These swinging doors, or closets,77 asthey may appropriately be termed, are twoin num berin the presentinstance, though more orless than two maybe employed, and are shownatFand G, respectively, as shallow boxes, with the openings on theinside, and covering the coldair apertures b, and hinged at theirinneredge to thecentral partof thefront of the-structure, which in this caseis a hollow post, d, adapted to receive one of the cooling-vessels, thedoors being closed by a suitable latch, which insures asufficiently-tight joint to prevent escape of cold air from the interior5 or the usual means may be employed for packing the joint between thedoors and remainder of the structure. The interior of each closet F andG is divided into a series of vertical cells, c c, &c., each of which isadapted to contain and support in an upright position a bottle, f, orother vessel to contain the sirups or otherliquids to be cooled, thecommon bottom g of the cells being of such height in most instances asto cause the neck of the bottle to protrude above the top plate, h, ofthe closet, in order that it may be reached by the shopman and liftedout of its receptacle, an opening, t', being made in the said top plate,h, over each cell, to permit of access to and removal of the bottle.Each opening fi is to be provided with a cover of some properconstruction, which shall close-the opening with an air-tight joint andinclose the neck of the bottle and the cap or cover which closes thelatter. These covers to the openings t may be of various constructions,and Ido not limit myself to any oneespecial form. For instance, jrepresents a cover which is simply fitted at its lower part into theopening t'. K represents the cover as hinged to the top plate of thecloset at one side of the opening, each cover being hollow to inclosethe neck and cover of the bottle. I prefer, however, and am now using, acover the construction of which is shown at lin the drawings. This coveris simply a dat drop-valve, preferably padded on roo its under side toinsure a tightjoint about the adjacent opening t', and resting by itsown weight upon the top of the plate h, such cover Zbeing hinged at itsrear edge to the front wall ofthe structure, in order to connect it withthe latter, this hinge being so arranged that when the cover is leftaloneit stands in a horizontal plane and in such a position with respectto the door or closet G that as the latter is closed it Wipes againstand slightly raises the cover, which settles down about the opening i.The valve or cover Z may be of metal or may be weighted to cause it toact effectively.

It will be seen that the bottom d ofthe cell e', with which the cover loperates, is so arranged that the neck of the bottle g resting upon itdoes not protrude through the top plate, h, but is practically Hush withit; and in order that the bottle g' may be raised into a position to bereadily grasped and removed when occasion requires without necessity ofopening the door, I make such bottom shifting or movable and capable ofsliding vertically within its cell. In the present instance the bottom dis aftixed to a support, m, sliding upon the front of the door andcomposed of two tlat elastic plates, a o, one disposed upon the insideand the other upon the outside, and united by the shank of a knob orbutton, p, which plays in a slot, q, in the door-front, the two platesserving to cover the slot and prevent escape of cold air from theinterior of the closet.

By means of the knob p, which is located upon the outside of thecloset-front, the shifting bottom, and with it the bottle, may be raisedinto such a position that the upper portion ofthe bottle protrudesthrough the top ofthe door, and so that it may be readily grasped andlifted ont and replaced.

I do not confine myself to the precise construction of the bottom orsupport d as herein described, as I consider my invention in thisrespect to consist in a support to the bottle which is capable of beingraised and lowered with respect to the opening in the top plate and thevalve t, and be held by the springs a and o or their equivalents in anyrequired position.

'Io enable the door or closet to readily close below the valve or coverl, it may be Well to bevel oft the lower front edge of such cover, orthe rear upper edge of the top of the door, or both.

I claim- 1. The combination, with the refrigeratingbox A, provided withbay D, of one or more doors containing cells provided with removablecovers, as described, said cells, when the door is closed, fitting overthe top of the bay D and up against the body of the refrigerator,substantially as hereinbet'ore set forth.

2. .In combination with the refrigerator-box and the door provided withcells, the cover or covers l, hinged to the box in position to drop overand cover the cell-openings when the door is closed, substantially ashereinbet'ore set forth.

3. In combination with the refrigerator and door for closing the same,one or more cells upon the interior of the door, provided with avertically-movable interior bottom or support, and means, substantiallyas described, for adjusting and holding said bottom or support,substantially as hereinbefore set forth.

4. The combination of the bottom d and springs n o, united by the buttonp, for the purpose of raising and sustaining the bottom in any position,substantially as stated.

ALVIN D. PUFFER. Witnesses:

THos. H. BLAIR, H. E. LODGE.

